Sep 1, 2007

Being Gopher and Being President

Some people have wondered aloud how being Gopher on Love Boat prepared Fred Thompson for his most important role: being president of the United States.

For one thing, Gopher was a problem solver. If someone wanted to avoid their ex-wife, pretend to a nun when they are actually a prostitute, or know how to kiss a girl for the first time as in the episode with Scott Baio, Gopher was always there to help.

In the same way, he was a public servant. At the beginning of every single episode, he could be seen carrying the passengers bags aboard the ship.He was also able to deal effectively with people of all races, from the black bartender Isaac, to Asian passenger Pat Morita, to illegal immigrant Charo. In all cases, he was able to interact with them with grace and good humor while maintaining his superiority as a white man.

Needless to say, after serving so much time in uniform on a ship, Fred Thompson will be an excellent commander in chief.

Why do people harp on nit picky details like whether this is the same exact guy? They are both named Fred. They were both in the congress in one way or another. That's closer than the press got it on most news stories of the past several years.

Why Gopher?

America needs a president who knows how to ACT presidential and yet remember he is a public servant. Fred Thompson knows how to serve--he carried the bags of countless B list celebrities on THE LOVE BOAT. In the twilight of his life, he showed his commitment to law and order on the long-running TV show LAW & ORDER.

He also served the public as a congressman from Iowa and as a talk radio host in a small East Coast town.